It is common for users to interact with multiple electronic devices during the course of the day. Personal computers, smart phones, and tablet computers are near ubiquitous, and it is common for individuals to interact with field-specific electronic devices, such as medical diagnostic equipment, factory machinery, and the like. In order to efficiently interface with these devices, certain common interface functions may be associated with “macros” or shortcut keys. For example, word processors may allow a user to press ALT+S to save a document, rather than requiring the user to select a “save” option from a drop down menu. Users that are comfortable navigating through such macros may be able to interface with the particular application much more efficiently by avoiding unnecessary input operations and avoiding errors.
Advances in networking technology allow for the disparate devices of the modern workplace to communicate in new and never-before-seen ways. However, devices are still typically constrained to act on input received by the single particular device. Remote control interfaces and systems may allow for a user to access a first device using a second device, but such systems often require tight coupling between applications executing on each device, such that each application is fully aware of the messaging formats and instructions being provided by the other application. As such, the cross-device communication opportunities provided by the increased prevalence of smartphones, tablets, and other network-aware devices are not being fully utilized, resulting in inefficient interfaces.